Hello, WriMos and friends!
Christmas is over and the week ahead looks clear for writing. I'm ready to begin the editing process of "A Place for Pamela". It's been good to take a break from the story. I haven't looked at my manuscript since the contest ended on November 30th. In fact, I haven't read any of it since the very beginning of the contest. I can't even remember what I wrote - the contest was such a blur!
It's been almost a month since I thought about Pamela and her journey, so now it's time to get back into her life and start the polishing process. I'd like to finish the book before school releases for the summer.
That being said, my tentative goal, from editing to print, is three months. March 2010. Hopefully, sooner. Let's see if I meet that deadline with a new semester upon us.
Wrimos, are you ready to edit? If so, let's take this second half of the NaNoWriMo journey together!
TTFN
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
And In The Meantime...
Hello, Everyone!
This will be my last blog until Christmas break when I begin the editing process on "A Place for Pamela". I need to focus on the end of the semester as well as the holidays. Plus I need a perspective from my book so I can look at it again with clear eyes.
I hope all of you who participated in NaNoWriMo will think about next year's event. We will meet weekly beginning August to prepare ourselves for November 2010. And those who didn't - join us!
For those of you who completed NaNoWriMo, congratulations. Did you get your code from CreateSpace yet? You can also design your book cover with CreateSpace. I'll blog about them later.
I'm already looking forward to writing another book. I miss being creative and it's been less than a week since the contest ended. I read somewhere there is another novel writing contest during the summer.
Anyway, check back after December 25th when I'll resume this blog.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy New Year!
TTFN
This will be my last blog until Christmas break when I begin the editing process on "A Place for Pamela". I need to focus on the end of the semester as well as the holidays. Plus I need a perspective from my book so I can look at it again with clear eyes.
I hope all of you who participated in NaNoWriMo will think about next year's event. We will meet weekly beginning August to prepare ourselves for November 2010. And those who didn't - join us!
For those of you who completed NaNoWriMo, congratulations. Did you get your code from CreateSpace yet? You can also design your book cover with CreateSpace. I'll blog about them later.
I'm already looking forward to writing another book. I miss being creative and it's been less than a week since the contest ended. I read somewhere there is another novel writing contest during the summer.
Anyway, check back after December 25th when I'll resume this blog.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy New Year!
TTFN
Monday, November 30, 2009
And More Congratulations...
A great big YIPPEE goes to Amanda (50,031 words) and Katia (50,000+) words! If there are any more winners out there, please let me know so I can post your name on this blog and also on ABS announcements Wednesday morning.
If you didn't win, don't worry. Keep writing and finish your book. You can still print your book with CreateSpace. You just won't receive a free one.
And don't forget - I'm sponsoring a novel writing club next year beginning September to prepare us for NaNoWriMo 2010.
In the meantime, we need to think about editing. But not yet. Focus on your finals. I'll start posting advice and ideas about this topic during Christmas Break. Check back at that time.
BTW - Tell me which cover you like for "A Place for Pamela".
If you didn't win, don't worry. Keep writing and finish your book. You can still print your book with CreateSpace. You just won't receive a free one.
And don't forget - I'm sponsoring a novel writing club next year beginning September to prepare us for NaNoWriMo 2010.
In the meantime, we need to think about editing. But not yet. Focus on your finals. I'll start posting advice and ideas about this topic during Christmas Break. Check back at that time.
BTW - Tell me which cover you like for "A Place for Pamela".
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Congratulations...
...to Kaitlin - 50,039 words and a day to spare!
I cannot mention her last name since this blog is live on the Internet, but she's in my 4th hour animation class, if ya know what I mean!
If you see her in the hallway tomorrow, give her a NaNoWriMo hug!
(-:
I cannot mention her last name since this blog is live on the Internet, but she's in my 4th hour animation class, if ya know what I mean!
If you see her in the hallway tomorrow, give her a NaNoWriMo hug!
(-:
Week 5, Day 29
It's Sunday afternoon and I don't need to remind you that tomorrow is the end of NaNoWriMo!
I hope all of you are continuing to write to the finish line. It's a cold, overcast, rainy day (as far as cold, overcast, rainy days go for Arizona), so it's a perfect day to snuggle up to your laptop and let your imagination take you for a ride.
Have you followed your storyline? What's the exposition? Catalyst? Rising Action? Climax? Denouement?
Who is the protagonist? What were the antagonist(s)? Did your protagonist defeat the antagonist(s)?
Have you run out of things to say? Make sure you answer who, what, when, where, why and how. Work on setting and detail. Will your reader be able to imagine where your story takes place - in a castle, on the side of a mountain, in the depths of the sea? How's your diaglogue? Did your characters say everything they need to say? Did you create conflict? Did you resolve the conflict?Remember that you can keep writing after NaNoWriMo has concluded. The 50,000 word requirement can be surpassed. I've read that some people have written over 100,000 words and still counting.
The next step after NaNoWriMo is to edit your creation. I suggest that those of you who intend to print your book should meet after school as a group to proofread and help each other with this process. If you are interested, please let me know.
Keep writing...
I hope all of you are continuing to write to the finish line. It's a cold, overcast, rainy day (as far as cold, overcast, rainy days go for Arizona), so it's a perfect day to snuggle up to your laptop and let your imagination take you for a ride.
Have you followed your storyline? What's the exposition? Catalyst? Rising Action? Climax? Denouement?
Who is the protagonist? What were the antagonist(s)? Did your protagonist defeat the antagonist(s)?
Have you run out of things to say? Make sure you answer who, what, when, where, why and how. Work on setting and detail. Will your reader be able to imagine where your story takes place - in a castle, on the side of a mountain, in the depths of the sea? How's your diaglogue? Did your characters say everything they need to say? Did you create conflict? Did you resolve the conflict?Remember that you can keep writing after NaNoWriMo has concluded. The 50,000 word requirement can be surpassed. I've read that some people have written over 100,000 words and still counting.
The next step after NaNoWriMo is to edit your creation. I suggest that those of you who intend to print your book should meet after school as a group to proofread and help each other with this process. If you are interested, please let me know.
Keep writing...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Week 4, Day 28
I just saw New Moon and I have to say I'm disappointed. I'm just not digging the whole Volturi thing (although the fight scene was blocked and filmed well). I've also grown tired of Bella being the depressed, suicidal damsel in distress. I liked Twilight because of the budding romance between the the protagonist and antagonist. But now that I've seen New Moon, I think Bella just needs a psychiatrist.
Anyway, back to NaNoWriMo...
I'm happy to say that I met my 50,000-word goal and am an official 'winner'. It feels good to be done but the actual work is now just beginning. I will begin to edit "A Place for Pamela" sometime during Christmas break. I plan to put copies of the book in the Media Center sometime this Spring. Maybe I'll sell them as a fundraiser and give the proceeds to the Academy. IDK yet.
Anyway, I know there are many of you still plugging away toward the finish line, so I thought I'd write this blog today to give you encouragement. You've heard me say "you can do it" but I'd like to give you a bit of advice on how.
This is how I finished my last 6,000 words. I typed the following sentence about each of my characters:
What do I know so far about __________________? (fill in the blank)
I then typed and answered my question until something happened - usually dialogue emerged or an incident that helped to flesh out a character's motivation or enhance a scene. Here's an example...
What do I know so far about Nancy?
She is a supporting character. Thirteen years old. Parents divorced. Older brother. Antagonist. Shoplifter. Pamela's only acquaintance. What does she want? To cooerce Pamela into stealing with her to experience the thrill. Why does Pamela hang with her? She is not accepted by another group at school.
Here's what I wrote from that short paragraph above. Here's the setup: Nancy has just stolen clothing from a store and Pamela was the lookout.
Nancy smiled politely at the sales clerk and headed toward the door at the front of the store. Just a few more steps and she'd be out into the main corridor of the mall. Pamela hesitated to follow. What if Nancy got caught? What if the sales clerk had suspected Nancy all along and had already contacted security? What if they were waiting right outside the doorway, ready to slap handcuffs on Nancy's wrists? And did they have a pair for Pamela?
If Nancy was afraid, she certainly didn’t show it. She walked confidently toward the front of the store. Stealing a shirt was a cinch for a pro like Nancy. Pamela had never seen her so calm. Pamela followed Nancy a few steps behind. Suddenly, as Nancy approached the front of the door, a bell began to ring.
The sales clerk looked up. “Girls. Please wait,” she called.
Nancy looked at Pamela, her eyes wide, her mouth grinning. “Run!” she said excitedly.
“Run?!” Pamela panicked.
"It's showtime!" Nancy laughed. She suddenly darted through the doorway and into the crowd of holiday shoppers, baby strollers and motorized wheelchairs. The sales clerk looked at Pamela, her eyes wide with surprise.
“You!" she shouted to Pamela. "Stay right there.”
Pamela froze. She looked after Nancy's retreating figure as it disappeared into the throng.
I didn’t do anything wrong, Pamela thought. I didn’t steal anything.
But would they believe her?
Pamela thought of the security guard she had seen earlier. Of walking through the mall with her wrists in handcuffs. Of her classmates eating lunch at the food court, pointing and laughing as she was led to the security office.
Pamela looked at the approaching sales clerk then at Nancy’s fleeing figure in the distance.
Pamela ran.
She lost sight of Nancy. Pamela darted between the clusters of holiday shoppers, looking for Nancy. She was nowhere to be found.
Pamela slowed her gait to not bring attention to herself. She dared not to turn around, afraid someone would recognize her face and call attention to her.
Where was Nancy? Where did she go?
Pamela wanted to cry. Her heart pounded in her chest. Every nerve in her body was on acute high alert. Every muscle was ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.
Pamela remembered Nancy's advice. Be cool. Be calm. And remember the plan.
What was the plan? Pamela panicked.
Get out of the mall. Go to a quiet, dark spot. Text me.
Pamela spied an outside entrance door. She quickly headed toward a group of people walking through the door. She entered the group and walked with them outside.
No beeps, no alarms. No police officers waiting outside at the curb. Nothing but dark sky and cold evening air.
Pamela looked to the left and right. Nancy was nowhere to be seen. She quickly ran to the parking lot, between the rows of parked cars and trucks. She found a dark hiding place between two large SUVs. There she stopped and waited, watching for security guards in golf carts or police cars.
Where was Nancy?
Anyway, back to NaNoWriMo...
I'm happy to say that I met my 50,000-word goal and am an official 'winner'. It feels good to be done but the actual work is now just beginning. I will begin to edit "A Place for Pamela" sometime during Christmas break. I plan to put copies of the book in the Media Center sometime this Spring. Maybe I'll sell them as a fundraiser and give the proceeds to the Academy. IDK yet.
Anyway, I know there are many of you still plugging away toward the finish line, so I thought I'd write this blog today to give you encouragement. You've heard me say "you can do it" but I'd like to give you a bit of advice on how.
This is how I finished my last 6,000 words. I typed the following sentence about each of my characters:
What do I know so far about __________________? (fill in the blank)
I then typed and answered my question until something happened - usually dialogue emerged or an incident that helped to flesh out a character's motivation or enhance a scene. Here's an example...
What do I know so far about Nancy?
She is a supporting character. Thirteen years old. Parents divorced. Older brother. Antagonist. Shoplifter. Pamela's only acquaintance. What does she want? To cooerce Pamela into stealing with her to experience the thrill. Why does Pamela hang with her? She is not accepted by another group at school.
Here's what I wrote from that short paragraph above. Here's the setup: Nancy has just stolen clothing from a store and Pamela was the lookout.
Nancy smiled politely at the sales clerk and headed toward the door at the front of the store. Just a few more steps and she'd be out into the main corridor of the mall. Pamela hesitated to follow. What if Nancy got caught? What if the sales clerk had suspected Nancy all along and had already contacted security? What if they were waiting right outside the doorway, ready to slap handcuffs on Nancy's wrists? And did they have a pair for Pamela?
If Nancy was afraid, she certainly didn’t show it. She walked confidently toward the front of the store. Stealing a shirt was a cinch for a pro like Nancy. Pamela had never seen her so calm. Pamela followed Nancy a few steps behind. Suddenly, as Nancy approached the front of the door, a bell began to ring.
The sales clerk looked up. “Girls. Please wait,” she called.
Nancy looked at Pamela, her eyes wide, her mouth grinning. “Run!” she said excitedly.
“Run?!” Pamela panicked.
"It's showtime!" Nancy laughed. She suddenly darted through the doorway and into the crowd of holiday shoppers, baby strollers and motorized wheelchairs. The sales clerk looked at Pamela, her eyes wide with surprise.
“You!" she shouted to Pamela. "Stay right there.”
Pamela froze. She looked after Nancy's retreating figure as it disappeared into the throng.
I didn’t do anything wrong, Pamela thought. I didn’t steal anything.
But would they believe her?
Pamela thought of the security guard she had seen earlier. Of walking through the mall with her wrists in handcuffs. Of her classmates eating lunch at the food court, pointing and laughing as she was led to the security office.
Pamela looked at the approaching sales clerk then at Nancy’s fleeing figure in the distance.
Pamela ran.
She lost sight of Nancy. Pamela darted between the clusters of holiday shoppers, looking for Nancy. She was nowhere to be found.
Pamela slowed her gait to not bring attention to herself. She dared not to turn around, afraid someone would recognize her face and call attention to her.
Where was Nancy? Where did she go?
Pamela wanted to cry. Her heart pounded in her chest. Every nerve in her body was on acute high alert. Every muscle was ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.
Pamela remembered Nancy's advice. Be cool. Be calm. And remember the plan.
What was the plan? Pamela panicked.
Get out of the mall. Go to a quiet, dark spot. Text me.
Pamela spied an outside entrance door. She quickly headed toward a group of people walking through the door. She entered the group and walked with them outside.
No beeps, no alarms. No police officers waiting outside at the curb. Nothing but dark sky and cold evening air.
Pamela looked to the left and right. Nancy was nowhere to be seen. She quickly ran to the parking lot, between the rows of parked cars and trucks. She found a dark hiding place between two large SUVs. There she stopped and waited, watching for security guards in golf carts or police cars.
Where was Nancy?
Friday, November 27, 2009
Book Cover
Here are two possible ideas for my book cover. Which one do you prefer? Ignore the white space around the black background. The image is a temporary placeholder. I am going to use one of my own photos.
Week 4, Day 27
Yikes! Four more days to go (including today)! How's everyone doing? I'm avoiding the mall, eating leftover turkey (yeah - I don't have to cook today!) and I'm going to plow through the last 6,000 words of my manuscript.
Keep writing...
Keep writing...
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Week 4, Day 26
Happy Thanksgiving, Wrimos!
The turkey is in the oven, the tables are set, and I'm going to steal away thirty minutes to write 1,000 words before my guests arrive.
TTFN
Okay, I'm back. It's 9:15pm and the Thanksgiving guests have departed. Time to get back to business. I wrote 987 words in those thirty minutes I mentioned above. And now, I intend to write at least another 1,000.
I hope all of you had a fun day.
Okay, I'm back again. I wrote 992 more words tonight. I'm really psyched about finishing my goal - about 6,000 words to go.
The turkey is in the oven, the tables are set, and I'm going to steal away thirty minutes to write 1,000 words before my guests arrive.
TTFN
Okay, I'm back. It's 9:15pm and the Thanksgiving guests have departed. Time to get back to business. I wrote 987 words in those thirty minutes I mentioned above. And now, I intend to write at least another 1,000.
I hope all of you had a fun day.
Okay, I'm back again. I wrote 992 more words tonight. I'm really psyched about finishing my goal - about 6,000 words to go.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Week 4, Day 25
I'm starting to get excited about November 30th. It's almost here! I am staring at the need to write 9,000 more words and I'm curious what words will fill that quota. I have no idea. I've written pretty much everything I intended to write. Are you in that same position? If so, here's what I'm going to do.
Detail. Detail. Detail.
I'm going to draw a sketch on paper of my main character's house and neighborhood. I'm going to label it like a map and then write about each aspect of it, such as the front yard, driveway, street lamps and grassy park. I want to be sure that my readers can envision the setting in which I've placed my action. And it will enable me to write another 2,000 words tonight.
So, it's time to launch MS Word and get busy.
Keep writing.
TTFN
Detail. Detail. Detail.
I'm going to draw a sketch on paper of my main character's house and neighborhood. I'm going to label it like a map and then write about each aspect of it, such as the front yard, driveway, street lamps and grassy park. I want to be sure that my readers can envision the setting in which I've placed my action. And it will enable me to write another 2,000 words tonight.
So, it's time to launch MS Word and get busy.
Keep writing.
TTFN
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Week 4, Day 24
I have found that I enjoy posting a message to my blog each day. It helps me to focus on the project at hand and is a great writing warm-up, much like singing scales or "Many mumbling mice are making merry music in the moonlight, mighty nice!" to prepare for choir rehearsal.
Well, it's Tuesday evening. I shopped for Thanksgiving dinner stuff and now it's time to think about writing.
My character, Pamela, has grown on me. I like her. I'm understanding more about what motivates her actions and words. I also have been developing the supporting cast (her family members) and am content with their emerging personalities.
Here's an excerpt from my writing episode last night. It was totally unexpected and obviously came from inspiration. I did not intend to write it when I sat down at the keyboard. It just happened. After you read it, tell me what you think! (-:
Here's the setup. Pamela and her friend Nancy were walking down the school hallway between classes when Nancy suddenly lunged at another girl and began to hit her. Pamela was shocked, tried to break up the fight, and was suspended from school. In this scene, she is eating dinner at her family.
Copyright © 2009 Karen Procopio
“Hey fighter – did you float like a butterfly and sting like a bee?” Jake teased, jabbing with his left fist, then with his right. He pretended to hit himself in the face.
“Shut up, Jake!” Pamela said angrily, glaring at her older brother.
“Did you give her a black eye?" he continued. "Bust up her lip? Geez, I love girl fights!”
“Jake, stop it,” Coach warned.
“Or did you fight like a girl and scratch and claw?” Jake snarled his hand into a cat's claw. "Rarrrrrrrrrrrr!" he hissed.
“I said shut up!” Pamela cried.
“Whatcha gonna do – beat me up too?”
“That’s enough, Jake,” Coach warned.
But Jake couldn’t resist. “I know what you can do, Coach –put her on defense so she can sack the quarterback.” Jake burst into laughter and slapped his thigh.
“I said stop!” Pamela stood up screaming. “Why don’t any of you believe me? I didn’t do it!” She broke into tears. “I hate you Jake, you son-of-a-bixxx!”
Maggie gasped. “PAMELA MARIE!”
Pamela turned and glared at Maggie. Why didn't her mother step in and help defend her against Jake's onslaught of nastiness? Why did she just sit there, saying nothing; cutting her steak into precise, bite-sized pieces.
A voice from deep within Pamela's heart rose out of her chest. “And I hate you the most!” she spat.
Maggie froze. Her eyes opened and her mouth dropped. “Pamela,” she said weakly, looking at Coach, then at Pamela.
Pamela knew she hurt her mother. But she didn't care. All she wanted to do was get away from everyone and everything that tore at her soul.
Pamela angrily pushed her chair away from the dinner table and ran barefoot across the tiled kitchen floor. She lunged toward the front door and fiercely yanked it open. She ran outside into the cold evening air, oblivious to the fact that she was wearing only a short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. She ran down the cobblestone driveway, across the street and down the sidewalk, her bare feet pounded the frigid concrete. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she needed to get away from her house, her family and the excruciating pain in her gut. She ran as fast as she could, the houses and street lights blurred by the tears in her eyes. She headed down one street and then, turned, and ran down the next. The wind whipped against her thin frame.
She headed through the park, the edge of its dark hills lit by the glow of distant street lights. She ran through the blackness, stumbling over the grassy dips and hills until she collapsed on a shadowy bluff, exhausted.
Pamela sobbed deep wretching sobs. Sobs of pain, stress and overwhelming sadness. There was nowhere to turn. Everyone at school hated her. Her family didn’t understand her. The only person who believed in her was 3,000 miles and three time zones away.
Pamela laid on the cold grass. She didn’t care if she caught pneumonia or froze into a frigid corpse by morning. She wanted to die. Death would be peaceful. She longed to sleep peacefully in the solitude of a mahogany box. Safely tucked away from the people who hated her. Safe from the pain that cut into her tender heart.
Pamela crossed her arms over her chest and looked upward at the evening sky. The November evening sky was clear, speckled with sparkling stars. She found the big dipper and fondly remembered her third-grade science teacher in Massachusetts - Mrs. Weston. Mrs. Weston loved Pamela and Pamela loved her. And Pamela loved science. She shared her secrets with Mrs. Weston – that she wanted to grow up to be an astronaut one day. That she had a crush on Jonathan Parker. That she kept a smelly box of seashells from Cape Cod hidden under her bed.
Mrs. Weston always had time for Pamela. Mrs. Weston always listened. Unlike the people in her family who should be the closest to her.
Pamela sighed. The damp ground beneath her body sent uncontrollable shivers rippling across her skin. The grass prickled stiffly under her fingertips. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. She wasn’t sure if she had fallen asleep. In her trance, she heard the distant, barely audible sounds of someone calling her name.
“Pamela!”
It was Coach’s voice from a far away distance. Did she detect fear?
“Pamela – where are you?”
That was definitely Jake’s voice, irritated and annoyed. Did Coach make him search for her in the cold night as a reparation for teasing her so mercilessly?
Let them worry, she thought angrily. She remained silent, watching from the hidden shadows of the hill.
Pamela lifted herself on an elbow. She was tempted to yell out to them. To reveal her hiding place. But she wasn’t ready to come out. Not yet.
Well, it's Tuesday evening. I shopped for Thanksgiving dinner stuff and now it's time to think about writing.
My character, Pamela, has grown on me. I like her. I'm understanding more about what motivates her actions and words. I also have been developing the supporting cast (her family members) and am content with their emerging personalities.
Here's an excerpt from my writing episode last night. It was totally unexpected and obviously came from inspiration. I did not intend to write it when I sat down at the keyboard. It just happened. After you read it, tell me what you think! (-:
Here's the setup. Pamela and her friend Nancy were walking down the school hallway between classes when Nancy suddenly lunged at another girl and began to hit her. Pamela was shocked, tried to break up the fight, and was suspended from school. In this scene, she is eating dinner at her family.
Copyright © 2009 Karen Procopio
“Hey fighter – did you float like a butterfly and sting like a bee?” Jake teased, jabbing with his left fist, then with his right. He pretended to hit himself in the face.
“Shut up, Jake!” Pamela said angrily, glaring at her older brother.
“Did you give her a black eye?" he continued. "Bust up her lip? Geez, I love girl fights!”
“Jake, stop it,” Coach warned.
“Or did you fight like a girl and scratch and claw?” Jake snarled his hand into a cat's claw. "Rarrrrrrrrrrrr!" he hissed.
“I said shut up!” Pamela cried.
“Whatcha gonna do – beat me up too?”
“That’s enough, Jake,” Coach warned.
But Jake couldn’t resist. “I know what you can do, Coach –put her on defense so she can sack the quarterback.” Jake burst into laughter and slapped his thigh.
“I said stop!” Pamela stood up screaming. “Why don’t any of you believe me? I didn’t do it!” She broke into tears. “I hate you Jake, you son-of-a-bixxx!”
Maggie gasped. “PAMELA MARIE!”
Pamela turned and glared at Maggie. Why didn't her mother step in and help defend her against Jake's onslaught of nastiness? Why did she just sit there, saying nothing; cutting her steak into precise, bite-sized pieces.
A voice from deep within Pamela's heart rose out of her chest. “And I hate you the most!” she spat.
Maggie froze. Her eyes opened and her mouth dropped. “Pamela,” she said weakly, looking at Coach, then at Pamela.
Pamela knew she hurt her mother. But she didn't care. All she wanted to do was get away from everyone and everything that tore at her soul.
Pamela angrily pushed her chair away from the dinner table and ran barefoot across the tiled kitchen floor. She lunged toward the front door and fiercely yanked it open. She ran outside into the cold evening air, oblivious to the fact that she was wearing only a short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. She ran down the cobblestone driveway, across the street and down the sidewalk, her bare feet pounded the frigid concrete. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she needed to get away from her house, her family and the excruciating pain in her gut. She ran as fast as she could, the houses and street lights blurred by the tears in her eyes. She headed down one street and then, turned, and ran down the next. The wind whipped against her thin frame.
She headed through the park, the edge of its dark hills lit by the glow of distant street lights. She ran through the blackness, stumbling over the grassy dips and hills until she collapsed on a shadowy bluff, exhausted.
Pamela sobbed deep wretching sobs. Sobs of pain, stress and overwhelming sadness. There was nowhere to turn. Everyone at school hated her. Her family didn’t understand her. The only person who believed in her was 3,000 miles and three time zones away.
Pamela laid on the cold grass. She didn’t care if she caught pneumonia or froze into a frigid corpse by morning. She wanted to die. Death would be peaceful. She longed to sleep peacefully in the solitude of a mahogany box. Safely tucked away from the people who hated her. Safe from the pain that cut into her tender heart.
Pamela crossed her arms over her chest and looked upward at the evening sky. The November evening sky was clear, speckled with sparkling stars. She found the big dipper and fondly remembered her third-grade science teacher in Massachusetts - Mrs. Weston. Mrs. Weston loved Pamela and Pamela loved her. And Pamela loved science. She shared her secrets with Mrs. Weston – that she wanted to grow up to be an astronaut one day. That she had a crush on Jonathan Parker. That she kept a smelly box of seashells from Cape Cod hidden under her bed.
Mrs. Weston always had time for Pamela. Mrs. Weston always listened. Unlike the people in her family who should be the closest to her.
Pamela sighed. The damp ground beneath her body sent uncontrollable shivers rippling across her skin. The grass prickled stiffly under her fingertips. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. She wasn’t sure if she had fallen asleep. In her trance, she heard the distant, barely audible sounds of someone calling her name.
“Pamela!”
It was Coach’s voice from a far away distance. Did she detect fear?
“Pamela – where are you?”
That was definitely Jake’s voice, irritated and annoyed. Did Coach make him search for her in the cold night as a reparation for teasing her so mercilessly?
Let them worry, she thought angrily. She remained silent, watching from the hidden shadows of the hill.
Pamela lifted herself on an elbow. She was tempted to yell out to them. To reveal her hiding place. But she wasn’t ready to come out. Not yet.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Week 4, Day 23
I didn't blog yesterday because I went to see Phantom of the Opera. Hey, WriMos need a creative break once in a while, right? (-:
Ok, the countdown has begun. Yikes - it's Monday and we've only got seven days left! I read in a forum that someone is simply typing music lyrics over and over to meet his 50,000 word quota. That's disgusting.
Either do it right or give it up, that's what I think.
Anyway, back to writing. TTFN.
Ok, the countdown has begun. Yikes - it's Monday and we've only got seven days left! I read in a forum that someone is simply typing music lyrics over and over to meet his 50,000 word quota. That's disgusting.
Either do it right or give it up, that's what I think.
Anyway, back to writing. TTFN.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Week 3, Day 21
There are only two kinds of computer hard drives:
1. Those that are dead.
2. Those that are dying.
In other words, plan on your hard drive dying because that's what they do. They are mechanical pieces of machinery that break down like anything else with moving parts. While we are typing our NaNoWriMo stories, they are working silently in the background - saving our creative ideas in the form of binary code. Hard drives are also used by your computer's operating system as paging files (temporary RAM). They are busy little devices that eventually poop out and quit.
Mine bit the dust last night - may it RIP. Needless to say, I'm annoyed. Even though I make regular backups, the last backup date for my NaNoWriMo files was Wednesday. The two chapters I wrote since then are now figments of my imagination. I can write them again, but that puts me behind 4,000 words. Rats.
To protect your NaNoWriMo novel, do the following:
1. Make copies of your work to a thumb drive on a calendar basis, i.e. every day or every other day, as needed.
2. Email your newest chapters to yourself every time you write one.
3. Buy an external USB hard drive and back up all your files (complete) or whatever is new (incremental).
4. Print a hard copy (paper) in case you have to re-type.
There are lots of backup utilities available on the Internet. The safest bet is to use the one that came with your computer. If you have your Windows XP CD, you can launch the backup utility. Here's the URL with instructions...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx
Keep writing. And protect that writing. Back up your work now!
1. Those that are dead.
2. Those that are dying.
In other words, plan on your hard drive dying because that's what they do. They are mechanical pieces of machinery that break down like anything else with moving parts. While we are typing our NaNoWriMo stories, they are working silently in the background - saving our creative ideas in the form of binary code. Hard drives are also used by your computer's operating system as paging files (temporary RAM). They are busy little devices that eventually poop out and quit.
Mine bit the dust last night - may it RIP. Needless to say, I'm annoyed. Even though I make regular backups, the last backup date for my NaNoWriMo files was Wednesday. The two chapters I wrote since then are now figments of my imagination. I can write them again, but that puts me behind 4,000 words. Rats.
To protect your NaNoWriMo novel, do the following:
1. Make copies of your work to a thumb drive on a calendar basis, i.e. every day or every other day, as needed.
2. Email your newest chapters to yourself every time you write one.
3. Buy an external USB hard drive and back up all your files (complete) or whatever is new (incremental).
4. Print a hard copy (paper) in case you have to re-type.
There are lots of backup utilities available on the Internet. The safest bet is to use the one that came with your computer. If you have your Windows XP CD, you can launch the backup utility. Here's the URL with instructions...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx
Keep writing. And protect that writing. Back up your work now!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Week 3, Day 20
Day 20 - Ten more days to go!
I'm keeping this blog short tonight because I need to write before this evening is over. What happens when November 30th arrives? We celebrate...and then get busy with the editing process.
But let's not cross that bridge yet.
Get back to work...that's where I'm headed now...
(-:
I'm keeping this blog short tonight because I need to write before this evening is over. What happens when November 30th arrives? We celebrate...and then get busy with the editing process.
But let's not cross that bridge yet.
Get back to work...that's where I'm headed now...
(-:
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Week 3, Day 19
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
You've heard these words before. Every good story includes them. When I studied journalism in college, I learned that reporters must be certain to answer each of those questions as succinctly as possible. You can use these same techniques to write your NaNoWriMo story. Here's an example:
What happened? A car accident.
Who was involved? A drunk driver.
When did it happen? 2:00 a.m.
Where did it happen? Main and Greenfield.
Why did it happen? Driver was drunk.
How did it happen? Driver ran a red light.
Now, take each of those components and write a paragraph:
Early Saturday morning, a drunk driver crashed into an SUV carrying two teenagers. The accident occurred at 2:00 a.m. when the drunk driver ran a red light on Main and Greenfield, hitting the eastbound SUV. All three victims were in stable condition when transported to local hospitals.
Now take this journalistic style piece of writing and turn it into prose:
Megan yawned as she turned her vehicle onto Greenfield Road and began the long drive home. It was worth waiting in line for three hours to watch the midnight movie, but now she was exhausted and longed for her soft pillow and comforter.
"I'm really too sleepy to get up in time for class tomorrow," she said. "Maybe I'll sleep in."
Laura fiddled with the radio, turning the dial left, then right, and settled on a jazz station.
"I know what you mean," she yawned. "But you'll miss the Trig review. I don't know about you, but I'm really struggling in that class."
"I'm doing alright. It's Chemistry I'm worried about."
"Ugh," Laura responded. "Tell me about it."
Megan drove the SUV toward Main street and pressed on the accelerator to make the green light before it turned red.
"I think that..." Megan began.
Suddenly, Laura watched as a white pickup truck sped toward the intersection.
"Megan, I don't think that guy is going to stop. Megan, watch out!" she screamed.
Megan turned her head just in time to see the white truck speed through the intersection. It hit her SUV, spinning both vehicles into pieces of broken metal and shards of glass. The white truck slammed into a utility pole as the SUV flipped upside down.
The intersection was quiet except for the gentle tunes playing from a jazz radio station.
So - here's my point. Create the Five W's - One H for your chapters. Write basic paragraphs like the first example above. Then go back and flesh them out with more detail.
You've heard these words before. Every good story includes them. When I studied journalism in college, I learned that reporters must be certain to answer each of those questions as succinctly as possible. You can use these same techniques to write your NaNoWriMo story. Here's an example:
What happened? A car accident.
Who was involved? A drunk driver.
When did it happen? 2:00 a.m.
Where did it happen? Main and Greenfield.
Why did it happen? Driver was drunk.
How did it happen? Driver ran a red light.
Now, take each of those components and write a paragraph:
Early Saturday morning, a drunk driver crashed into an SUV carrying two teenagers. The accident occurred at 2:00 a.m. when the drunk driver ran a red light on Main and Greenfield, hitting the eastbound SUV. All three victims were in stable condition when transported to local hospitals.
Now take this journalistic style piece of writing and turn it into prose:
Megan yawned as she turned her vehicle onto Greenfield Road and began the long drive home. It was worth waiting in line for three hours to watch the midnight movie, but now she was exhausted and longed for her soft pillow and comforter.
"I'm really too sleepy to get up in time for class tomorrow," she said. "Maybe I'll sleep in."
Laura fiddled with the radio, turning the dial left, then right, and settled on a jazz station.
"I know what you mean," she yawned. "But you'll miss the Trig review. I don't know about you, but I'm really struggling in that class."
"I'm doing alright. It's Chemistry I'm worried about."
"Ugh," Laura responded. "Tell me about it."
Megan drove the SUV toward Main street and pressed on the accelerator to make the green light before it turned red.
"I think that..." Megan began.
Suddenly, Laura watched as a white pickup truck sped toward the intersection.
"Megan, I don't think that guy is going to stop. Megan, watch out!" she screamed.
Megan turned her head just in time to see the white truck speed through the intersection. It hit her SUV, spinning both vehicles into pieces of broken metal and shards of glass. The white truck slammed into a utility pole as the SUV flipped upside down.
The intersection was quiet except for the gentle tunes playing from a jazz radio station.
So - here's my point. Create the Five W's - One H for your chapters. Write basic paragraphs like the first example above. Then go back and flesh them out with more detail.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Week 3, Day 18
Hello, Wrimos!
This blog is going to be short. I left my charger at work and my battery just warned me time's up.
At least I wrote my quota for the day before this blog.
TTFN
(-:
This blog is going to be short. I left my charger at work and my battery just warned me time's up.
At least I wrote my quota for the day before this blog.
TTFN
(-:
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Week 3, Day 17
Is writing becoming a chore? Are you wishing you never said "Yes! I'll join NaNoWriMo". I'll bet there are thousands of well-intentioned writers around the world right now who are feeling like failures.
I disagree.
First of all, writing 50,000 in one month is a daunting task. Heck, writing 5,000 words in one month can be daunting. But something compelled you to join this contest. Was it the prize of a book at the end of the rainbow? Or was it because you wanted to be a part of this worldwide creative venture?
For me, the incentive was to write. To have a purpose to write. Ideas for stories are always bubbling on the cusp of my mind. Whether I'm waiting in line at the bank or pulling a package from the mailbox, I'm always thinking about how a story can be born from that slice of life. I can't help it. I'm obsessed. I was bit by the insatiable need to write when I was a little girl and it's only satiated when I'm in a creative mode.
When I discovered NaNoWriMo, I was thrilled to learn there were other people just as nutty as me. So I signed up. I was hooked. With writer's hunger pains gnawing at my creative gut, I look forward to writing every day. I have to write and write and write until I'm satiated. For that moment. Then, the next day, I'm hungry again.
The idea of printing my book at the end sweetened the deal. I think CreateSpace is really cool for providing a printed book to every NaNoWriMo winner. It's a high to see your words in print. And I'm sure they are hoping we'll buy more copies. After all, they're in business to make money. No fault there. But most importantly, I think they recognize the need for writers to see their thoughts in printed form. It validates their efforts.
So, back to why you are participating in this contest. Here's what I think. If you wrote even just one word, it's more than what you wrote BEFORE the contest. And now you've been bit with the NaNoWriMo bug. Finish your book - whether or not it's complete by November 30th. There's always another NaNoWriMo next year.
For my students, I've decided to sponsor a novel writing club next year to prepare our outlines and writing strategies for NaNoWriMo 2010. We'll begin meeting in August.
So, for those of you still in the race, keep writing. I intend to finish by November 30th, unless I'm comatose in the ICU at the hospital. And even then, I'll find some way to write.
Let's do this thing...
I disagree.
First of all, writing 50,000 in one month is a daunting task. Heck, writing 5,000 words in one month can be daunting. But something compelled you to join this contest. Was it the prize of a book at the end of the rainbow? Or was it because you wanted to be a part of this worldwide creative venture?
For me, the incentive was to write. To have a purpose to write. Ideas for stories are always bubbling on the cusp of my mind. Whether I'm waiting in line at the bank or pulling a package from the mailbox, I'm always thinking about how a story can be born from that slice of life. I can't help it. I'm obsessed. I was bit by the insatiable need to write when I was a little girl and it's only satiated when I'm in a creative mode.
When I discovered NaNoWriMo, I was thrilled to learn there were other people just as nutty as me. So I signed up. I was hooked. With writer's hunger pains gnawing at my creative gut, I look forward to writing every day. I have to write and write and write until I'm satiated. For that moment. Then, the next day, I'm hungry again.
The idea of printing my book at the end sweetened the deal. I think CreateSpace is really cool for providing a printed book to every NaNoWriMo winner. It's a high to see your words in print. And I'm sure they are hoping we'll buy more copies. After all, they're in business to make money. No fault there. But most importantly, I think they recognize the need for writers to see their thoughts in printed form. It validates their efforts.
So, back to why you are participating in this contest. Here's what I think. If you wrote even just one word, it's more than what you wrote BEFORE the contest. And now you've been bit with the NaNoWriMo bug. Finish your book - whether or not it's complete by November 30th. There's always another NaNoWriMo next year.
For my students, I've decided to sponsor a novel writing club next year to prepare our outlines and writing strategies for NaNoWriMo 2010. We'll begin meeting in August.
So, for those of you still in the race, keep writing. I intend to finish by November 30th, unless I'm comatose in the ICU at the hospital. And even then, I'll find some way to write.
Let's do this thing...
Monday, November 16, 2009
Week 3, Day 16
Hello, Wrimos:
How are your peaks and valleys?
Writing a novel is like climbing a mountain. The smooth terrain at the base of the mountain is the exposition. This is where you set the location of your story. A catalyst (or inciting event) kicks off the action of the story, and your character begins climbing the mountain. The actual climb is the rising action. The peak of the mountain is the climax of the story. The descent down the mountain is the denouement or falling action.
So - how are your peaks and valleys? The peaks are the mini upward movements toward the top of the mountain. The valleys are the moments your character needs to catch his/her breath. As your character climbs the mountain (figuratively, of course), there will be many peaks to climb and valleys to chill out.
The peaks provide the action of the story. For instance, my character Pamela goes into a drug store with her friends and is pressured into stealing a small container of strawberry lip gloss. This specific piece of rising action is a peak on the way to the top of the mountain (climax).
But after this bit of rising action, there needs to be a valley. Even just for a moment. Imagine sprinting a race. Before you can run another lap, you have to stop and catch your breath. So does your character. He/she needs to reflect on the action just experienced. The valley consists of the character's thought processes.
In my book, Pamela sits quietly in her bedroom, feeling tremendous remorse and fear. She wonders "Why did I do it?" During a valley, the writer has a chance to add some backstory. Here's a great time for me to describe Pamela's bedroom. Her choice of colors and fabrics will explain a lot about her, or perhaps the purchases her mother made against her will. Maybe she has a picture of her family on her dresser. Or an old friend. Seeing the pictures makes her feel awful. But being without friends at this new school makes Pamela feel even more awful. The valley, therefore, must always result in a decision. In my book, Pamela wipes her tears and decides to hide the theft so she can continue to hang out with these friends, even though she knows they are the wrong crowd.
And then, we are off to the next peak - another shoplifting event, much more dangerous than the previous. And so the rising action continues, one peak and valley at a time, until the protagonist reaches the climax of the story.
So, how are your peaks and valleys?
TTFN
How are your peaks and valleys?
Writing a novel is like climbing a mountain. The smooth terrain at the base of the mountain is the exposition. This is where you set the location of your story. A catalyst (or inciting event) kicks off the action of the story, and your character begins climbing the mountain. The actual climb is the rising action. The peak of the mountain is the climax of the story. The descent down the mountain is the denouement or falling action.
So - how are your peaks and valleys? The peaks are the mini upward movements toward the top of the mountain. The valleys are the moments your character needs to catch his/her breath. As your character climbs the mountain (figuratively, of course), there will be many peaks to climb and valleys to chill out.
The peaks provide the action of the story. For instance, my character Pamela goes into a drug store with her friends and is pressured into stealing a small container of strawberry lip gloss. This specific piece of rising action is a peak on the way to the top of the mountain (climax).
But after this bit of rising action, there needs to be a valley. Even just for a moment. Imagine sprinting a race. Before you can run another lap, you have to stop and catch your breath. So does your character. He/she needs to reflect on the action just experienced. The valley consists of the character's thought processes.
In my book, Pamela sits quietly in her bedroom, feeling tremendous remorse and fear. She wonders "Why did I do it?" During a valley, the writer has a chance to add some backstory. Here's a great time for me to describe Pamela's bedroom. Her choice of colors and fabrics will explain a lot about her, or perhaps the purchases her mother made against her will. Maybe she has a picture of her family on her dresser. Or an old friend. Seeing the pictures makes her feel awful. But being without friends at this new school makes Pamela feel even more awful. The valley, therefore, must always result in a decision. In my book, Pamela wipes her tears and decides to hide the theft so she can continue to hang out with these friends, even though she knows they are the wrong crowd.
And then, we are off to the next peak - another shoplifting event, much more dangerous than the previous. And so the rising action continues, one peak and valley at a time, until the protagonist reaches the climax of the story.
So, how are your peaks and valleys?
TTFN
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Week 3, Day 15 - Halfway Point!
Hello, Wrimos!
Today we have reached the halfway point of the NaNoWriMo writing contest. It's time to assess where you are in this process. Have you done the following:
1. Created a storyline map to plot out your story?
2. Divided up your story into chapters? Assigned your chapters working titles?
3. Determined your protagonist and antagonist(s)?
4. Created several conflicts your protagonist must overcome?
5. Thought about how you want your story to end?
If you have done the above-listed steps, I suggest you spend a little bit of time doing research. My main character, Pamela, becomes a shoplifter. I have been researching psychological, medical and law/criminal websites to make sure I understand the motives of my shoplifting character and the legal ramifications of shoplifting - all to ensure my story is legally realistic.
I haven't yet blogged about setting, description and detail. That stuff comes later, after the contest, when you have time to flesh out your characters and provide the detail your reader needs to fully enter into your story. Here's where research is helpful. If your story takes place in a real setting, Google it on the Internet and learn about the weather, land masses, lakes and streams, etc. to bring realism to your story. If your setting is fictional, you can still do research on the environment you wish to duplicate - such as a rainforest or a snowy peak in the Himylayas.
Keep writing...
Today we have reached the halfway point of the NaNoWriMo writing contest. It's time to assess where you are in this process. Have you done the following:
1. Created a storyline map to plot out your story?
2. Divided up your story into chapters? Assigned your chapters working titles?
3. Determined your protagonist and antagonist(s)?
4. Created several conflicts your protagonist must overcome?
5. Thought about how you want your story to end?
If you have done the above-listed steps, I suggest you spend a little bit of time doing research. My main character, Pamela, becomes a shoplifter. I have been researching psychological, medical and law/criminal websites to make sure I understand the motives of my shoplifting character and the legal ramifications of shoplifting - all to ensure my story is legally realistic.
I haven't yet blogged about setting, description and detail. That stuff comes later, after the contest, when you have time to flesh out your characters and provide the detail your reader needs to fully enter into your story. Here's where research is helpful. If your story takes place in a real setting, Google it on the Internet and learn about the weather, land masses, lakes and streams, etc. to bring realism to your story. If your setting is fictional, you can still do research on the environment you wish to duplicate - such as a rainforest or a snowy peak in the Himylayas.
Keep writing...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Week 3, Day 15 - "Wordle Creations"
Need inspiration? Have some fun creating a book cover or poster of your NaNoWriMo novel. Create a Wordle! Mine is posted below - "A Place For Pamela". You can create your own - just follow the Wordle link below. Check it out!
Wordle - Create
http://www.wordle.net/. Images of Wordles are licensed.
Wordle - Create
http://www.wordle.net/. Images of Wordles are licensed.
Week 2, Day 14
Hello, Wrimos!
This blog is going to be short because I'm off to choir practice and a zillion other things today.
Tomorrow is November 15th - our halfway point towards 50,000 words. You should be at 25,000 words by tomorrow or pretty darn close. If you're ahead - whoohoo! Keep writing! If you're behind, it's time to step it up.
You CAN do this! Thousands of people all around the world are typing as you read this.
Get busy.
This blog is going to be short because I'm off to choir practice and a zillion other things today.
Tomorrow is November 15th - our halfway point towards 50,000 words. You should be at 25,000 words by tomorrow or pretty darn close. If you're ahead - whoohoo! Keep writing! If you're behind, it's time to step it up.
You CAN do this! Thousands of people all around the world are typing as you read this.
Get busy.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Week 2, Day 13
What is antagonizing your protagonist (main character)? Or maybe it's "who"? Is the antagonist a person? A group of people? An attitude? Something inanimate - perhaps a storm? Is the protagonist his own antagonist? Writers use antagonist(s) to create conflict in their stories. A good story needs conflict. Without conflict, there's nothing to resolve. Without anything to resolve, a story is dull. When you pick up a book at the library, you want to read about how the main character overcomes something. Whether it's Harry Potter or Bella Swan, we want our hero/heroine to win. But in order to win, he/she has to defeat something - the antagonist.
So what's anatagonzing your character?
In my book, my main character Pamela is antagonized by the following:
1. The community in which she now lives. She is homesick for her home in Massachusetts and wishes they had never moved away from it.
2. The tweens in the neighborhood don't like or accept her.
3. Her father (Coach) is preoccupied with his career. His attitudes toward Pamela antagonize her because he doesn't have any patience for her homesickness.
4. Her mother (Maggie) is preoccupied with her political career and uses the house for her headquarters. Maggie invites her new adult friends over to the house to talk about issues. These adults bring their children, who do not like Pamela.
5. Big brother Jake is preoccupied with his football career. His lack of interest in Pamela antagonizes her.
6. Older sister Maralee is preoccupied with her social life. She ignores Pamela's attempts to express her true feelings of sadness.
7. The group Pamela hangs with shoplifts at the Mall. Pamela is conflicted about their activities because she knows it's wrong, but she must join in their illegal activities if she wants to remain part of the group.
So, I have created seven antagonists. Each antagonist must be overcome by the protagonist directly or indirectly. I have just given myself enough topics to write more than 50,000 words!
So, what's antagonizing your protagonist?
So what's anatagonzing your character?
In my book, my main character Pamela is antagonized by the following:
1. The community in which she now lives. She is homesick for her home in Massachusetts and wishes they had never moved away from it.
2. The tweens in the neighborhood don't like or accept her.
3. Her father (Coach) is preoccupied with his career. His attitudes toward Pamela antagonize her because he doesn't have any patience for her homesickness.
4. Her mother (Maggie) is preoccupied with her political career and uses the house for her headquarters. Maggie invites her new adult friends over to the house to talk about issues. These adults bring their children, who do not like Pamela.
5. Big brother Jake is preoccupied with his football career. His lack of interest in Pamela antagonizes her.
6. Older sister Maralee is preoccupied with her social life. She ignores Pamela's attempts to express her true feelings of sadness.
7. The group Pamela hangs with shoplifts at the Mall. Pamela is conflicted about their activities because she knows it's wrong, but she must join in their illegal activities if she wants to remain part of the group.
So, I have created seven antagonists. Each antagonist must be overcome by the protagonist directly or indirectly. I have just given myself enough topics to write more than 50,000 words!
So, what's antagonizing your protagonist?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Week 2, Day 12
Do you feel like you've run out of things to say? You've written down every idea that's been mulling around in your head and now your creativity feels depleted?
Time for sub-plots.
A sub-plot includes storylines that include the goals and actions of your supporting characters. Here's an example from "A Place for Pamela".
There are four supporting characters in my book: Pamela's mother, father, brother and sister. Their goals and actions have direct and indirect effects on Pamela's life, oftentimes to the detriment and demise of Pamela.
Father (Coach) - His name is Coach because that's what everyone's called him since he began his high school football coaching career twenty years ago. Even his family calls him Coach. He is the reason the family moved - to further his career and give him the opportunity to make his dream come true - to take the high school football team to the state championship and win the coveted trophy. His day-to-day actions further the storyline and his self-absorbed decisions affect Pamela.
Mother (Maggie) - She is thrilled to be living in this newly-built community with its country club, golf links, social parties and fund-raising activities. She immediately becomes preoccupied with the upcoming election for the Country Club Association and petitions to be the new president.
Jake (Brother) - Jake is a senior. He is good-looking, charismatic and athletic. Jake enjoys the prestige of his father being the new head coach and the perks that come with being his son - namely, he is the starting quarterback. The house is always the hub of activity in the community where he and his friends gather to talk sports, eat pizza and play video games.
Maralee (Sister) - Maralee is a junior. She also inherited the family's blonde hair and blue eyes and her mother's contagious smile. Maralee is thrilled to be the focus of Jake's teammates, and spends more time at parties and social events than at home.
Pamela, of course, is affected by her family's lives and decisions. In their haste to assimilate into the new community, Pamela is ignored. The family assumes Pamela is just as happy as they are and ignore her pleas for help. She falls into the wrong crowd and develops an addition to shoplifting. The adrenaline rush that stealing provides Pamela helps to take away the loneliness and sadness in her life, even if just for a few minutes.
Now that I have written these sub-plot outlines, I have new chapters I can write. Each of them will help to reinforce and validate Pamela's problem, which is what I must do as a writer to make her problem plausible.
Take a few minutes and create your sub-plots. You won't have to worry about coming up with enough words to meet your 50,000 goal.
TTFN
Time for sub-plots.
A sub-plot includes storylines that include the goals and actions of your supporting characters. Here's an example from "A Place for Pamela".
There are four supporting characters in my book: Pamela's mother, father, brother and sister. Their goals and actions have direct and indirect effects on Pamela's life, oftentimes to the detriment and demise of Pamela.
Father (Coach) - His name is Coach because that's what everyone's called him since he began his high school football coaching career twenty years ago. Even his family calls him Coach. He is the reason the family moved - to further his career and give him the opportunity to make his dream come true - to take the high school football team to the state championship and win the coveted trophy. His day-to-day actions further the storyline and his self-absorbed decisions affect Pamela.
Mother (Maggie) - She is thrilled to be living in this newly-built community with its country club, golf links, social parties and fund-raising activities. She immediately becomes preoccupied with the upcoming election for the Country Club Association and petitions to be the new president.
Jake (Brother) - Jake is a senior. He is good-looking, charismatic and athletic. Jake enjoys the prestige of his father being the new head coach and the perks that come with being his son - namely, he is the starting quarterback. The house is always the hub of activity in the community where he and his friends gather to talk sports, eat pizza and play video games.
Maralee (Sister) - Maralee is a junior. She also inherited the family's blonde hair and blue eyes and her mother's contagious smile. Maralee is thrilled to be the focus of Jake's teammates, and spends more time at parties and social events than at home.
Pamela, of course, is affected by her family's lives and decisions. In their haste to assimilate into the new community, Pamela is ignored. The family assumes Pamela is just as happy as they are and ignore her pleas for help. She falls into the wrong crowd and develops an addition to shoplifting. The adrenaline rush that stealing provides Pamela helps to take away the loneliness and sadness in her life, even if just for a few minutes.
Now that I have written these sub-plot outlines, I have new chapters I can write. Each of them will help to reinforce and validate Pamela's problem, which is what I must do as a writer to make her problem plausible.
Take a few minutes and create your sub-plots. You won't have to worry about coming up with enough words to meet your 50,000 goal.
TTFN
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Week 2, Day 11
Happy Veteran's Day!
How are your stories progressing? Today is a perfect day to write. Is everyone home from school today? Too noisy at your house? Find a quiet corner and shut the door. Put on headphones. Make a sign "Author At Work" and place it on your door. Set a timer and tell everyone to hold your calls until the timer beeps. Or go outside. You could bring a notepad or a laptop with you and sit under a shady tree. You could write at the neighborhood park - but only if your parents approve and it is safe (maybe bring a NaNoWriMo friend?). Perhaps Grandma's house is more quiet than yours? The point is, if you're a NaNoWriMo writer, you have to write. You've got a deadline to keep. And the only way you're going to keep that deadline is if you make the time to do it. No excuses.
Sometimes I only have time to write in spurts - 15 minutes here, 15 minutes there. Like between loads of laundry or while I'm grilling chicken (type, flip the meat, season the meat, go back to the computer, type, repeat...). But those minutes really add up. You just have to learn to get into your writing zone - fast. You have to be able to tune out the television, the dogs barking, your siblings running through the house. Whatever the distractions, you have to stay focused to reach your goal.
One last bit of advice - know what you want to write about before you sit down. Precious minutes can be consumed with indecision. So, while you are brushing your teeth or feeding the cat, think about your writing topic of the day. Is is setting? Conflict? Dialogue? Whatever it is, think about it BEFORE you sit down to make the most of your typing time.
Ok. No more advice today. If you're reading this blog (and I'm glad you are) - GET BACK TO WORK WRIMOS! (-:
How are your stories progressing? Today is a perfect day to write. Is everyone home from school today? Too noisy at your house? Find a quiet corner and shut the door. Put on headphones. Make a sign "Author At Work" and place it on your door. Set a timer and tell everyone to hold your calls until the timer beeps. Or go outside. You could bring a notepad or a laptop with you and sit under a shady tree. You could write at the neighborhood park - but only if your parents approve and it is safe (maybe bring a NaNoWriMo friend?). Perhaps Grandma's house is more quiet than yours? The point is, if you're a NaNoWriMo writer, you have to write. You've got a deadline to keep. And the only way you're going to keep that deadline is if you make the time to do it. No excuses.
Sometimes I only have time to write in spurts - 15 minutes here, 15 minutes there. Like between loads of laundry or while I'm grilling chicken (type, flip the meat, season the meat, go back to the computer, type, repeat...). But those minutes really add up. You just have to learn to get into your writing zone - fast. You have to be able to tune out the television, the dogs barking, your siblings running through the house. Whatever the distractions, you have to stay focused to reach your goal.
One last bit of advice - know what you want to write about before you sit down. Precious minutes can be consumed with indecision. So, while you are brushing your teeth or feeding the cat, think about your writing topic of the day. Is is setting? Conflict? Dialogue? Whatever it is, think about it BEFORE you sit down to make the most of your typing time.
Ok. No more advice today. If you're reading this blog (and I'm glad you are) - GET BACK TO WORK WRIMOS! (-:
Monday, November 9, 2009
Week 2, Day 10
I'm posting Day 10 blog today on Day 9 because I won't have time to do it tomorrow night. I wanted to make sure you set aside time on Veteran's Day to write. You probably have family plans that day. My daughter is marching in a parade. However, it's a great day to find a quiet spot and write. So even though we can't meet during lunchtime, please continue writing on your own.
Is this whole process getting easier for you? It is for me. The more I write, the more I develop the storyline and conflicts. I'm hooked now and I can't stop until this darn thing is finished. I want to see if my character resolves her problems.
What do you mean "if"? Aren't you the writer - you ask.
Yes, I am the writer, but the story is taking off now. My characters are speaking as they darn well please and I am letting it flow. That's what's so cool about this contest. You just go with the flow and see where the story takes you.
Did I tell you my character Pamela is a shoplifter? I didn't know how bad her problem had become until tonight when I wrote this new section. Here it is, hot off the press, unedited and messy. Tell me what you think...
Copyrighted © by Karen Procopio 11/09/09
Pamela browsed through the display of t-shirts. She picked up a small red t-shirt with black and white designs on the front. It was pretty and Pamela liked red. This shirt would become the prize.
And so the game began.
Pamela peered at the sales woman who was busily ringing up the purchases from a long line of customers.
Pamela looked at the shirt again, hesitated, and picked up three – two smalls and a medium. She draped the shirts over her arm and carried them to the harried saleswoman. She smiled politely.
“May I try these on please?” she asked.
“Ok, but can you wait a moment?” the woman said, holding up one finger.
“Sure,” Pamela smiled. Her heart pounded in her chest. She looked at the customers standing in line. She felt a mixture of fear and exhilaration. Did they suspect something? Was she much too cheerful?
The woman finished ringing up the sale and motioned to the next customer in line that she would be right back.
“Oh, my! Sorry to keep you waiting,” the woman said as she pulled a keychain from around her neck.
“Oh, no problem,” Pamela said. “I have time. You’re busy.”
The woman smiled gratefully as she unlocked the changing room door. “We’re short tonight. Two people out with the flu.”
“Oh, that must make it a busy night for you,” Pamela consoled.
The woman sighed. “Isn’t that the truth. So,” she said, looking back at the line of customers waiting. “How many?”
“Two,” Pamela lied.
“Okay, here you go,” the woman said as she placed a large cardboard number “2” on a peg outside the changing room door. With Pamela safely closed inside the room, she placed the three t-shirts on the bench. Quickly she unzipped her sweatshirt and removed her black long-sleeved shirt. She tried on the small red t-shirt and looked at herself in the mirror. The t-shirt was cute and fit her shoulders well. Pamela looked in the mirror and, with trembling hands, smoothed the shirt over her belly. She forced a smile. The face that smiled back was a face she didn’t recognize. The eyes were dark, wild. The smile was a teeth-clenched grimace. Who was she kidding? She knew stealing was wrong. And what if she got caught? But that was the game, wasn’t it? To see if she could walk out of the dressing room, past the sales woman and customers, past the front doors and out into the mall where she would walk, triumphantly, possessing a dark secret of which no one knew.
A knock on the changing room door startled Pamela.
“Do you need another size?” the woman called.
“Uh, no thank you,” Pamela said.
Quickly Pamela pulled the price tag off the red t-shirt and tore it into shreds. She placed the tiny pieces of paper into her jeans pocket. She then slipped her black, long-sleeved shirt over the red t-shirt, and pulled on her sweatshirt.
She smiled in the mirror, took a deep breath and with trembling hands, opened the door.
“How’d it go?” the woman asked cheerfully.
Pamela frowned. “Oh, sometimes t-shirts look better on the hanger than they do on me,” she said, disappointed. She handed the two red t-shirts back to the woman.
“Oh, that’s too bad. Would you like to look at another?”
“No, thanks. My mom text me. I gotta go,” Pamela smiled. “Thanks!”
“Ok. Come again,” the woman said as Pamela headed for the door.
Pamela’s heart pounded in her chest as she walked closer and closer to the front of the door. Were there sensors on the t-shirts? She suddenly panicked. She didn’t see any when she slipped the shirt over her head. But could she be sure? It was too late, now.
Time to go, Pamela.
Pamela hovered near the front of the store, pretending to be interested in a headless mannequin displaying jeans and a black sweater. Pamela touched the fabric of the sweater and waited until a group of teenage girls exited the store. Just as they walked past her, she casually turned, stepped into their group and followed them through the door.
Pamela held her breath.
Nothing. No beeps. No yelling. No “stop thief!”.
Pamela walked with the group and separated from them in front of the book store.
She did it. She did it all by herself. She didn’t need Nancy or Cathy or anyone else to help her.
What she did was wrong. It was terrible. It was illegal. It was against everything she had ever been taught as a child.
But it was exhilarating.
And for the first time since she moved to this awful town with its artificial, synthetic people, Pamela felt alive.
And it felt good.
Is this whole process getting easier for you? It is for me. The more I write, the more I develop the storyline and conflicts. I'm hooked now and I can't stop until this darn thing is finished. I want to see if my character resolves her problems.
What do you mean "if"? Aren't you the writer - you ask.
Yes, I am the writer, but the story is taking off now. My characters are speaking as they darn well please and I am letting it flow. That's what's so cool about this contest. You just go with the flow and see where the story takes you.
Did I tell you my character Pamela is a shoplifter? I didn't know how bad her problem had become until tonight when I wrote this new section. Here it is, hot off the press, unedited and messy. Tell me what you think...
Copyrighted © by Karen Procopio 11/09/09
Pamela browsed through the display of t-shirts. She picked up a small red t-shirt with black and white designs on the front. It was pretty and Pamela liked red. This shirt would become the prize.
And so the game began.
Pamela peered at the sales woman who was busily ringing up the purchases from a long line of customers.
Pamela looked at the shirt again, hesitated, and picked up three – two smalls and a medium. She draped the shirts over her arm and carried them to the harried saleswoman. She smiled politely.
“May I try these on please?” she asked.
“Ok, but can you wait a moment?” the woman said, holding up one finger.
“Sure,” Pamela smiled. Her heart pounded in her chest. She looked at the customers standing in line. She felt a mixture of fear and exhilaration. Did they suspect something? Was she much too cheerful?
The woman finished ringing up the sale and motioned to the next customer in line that she would be right back.
“Oh, my! Sorry to keep you waiting,” the woman said as she pulled a keychain from around her neck.
“Oh, no problem,” Pamela said. “I have time. You’re busy.”
The woman smiled gratefully as she unlocked the changing room door. “We’re short tonight. Two people out with the flu.”
“Oh, that must make it a busy night for you,” Pamela consoled.
The woman sighed. “Isn’t that the truth. So,” she said, looking back at the line of customers waiting. “How many?”
“Two,” Pamela lied.
“Okay, here you go,” the woman said as she placed a large cardboard number “2” on a peg outside the changing room door. With Pamela safely closed inside the room, she placed the three t-shirts on the bench. Quickly she unzipped her sweatshirt and removed her black long-sleeved shirt. She tried on the small red t-shirt and looked at herself in the mirror. The t-shirt was cute and fit her shoulders well. Pamela looked in the mirror and, with trembling hands, smoothed the shirt over her belly. She forced a smile. The face that smiled back was a face she didn’t recognize. The eyes were dark, wild. The smile was a teeth-clenched grimace. Who was she kidding? She knew stealing was wrong. And what if she got caught? But that was the game, wasn’t it? To see if she could walk out of the dressing room, past the sales woman and customers, past the front doors and out into the mall where she would walk, triumphantly, possessing a dark secret of which no one knew.
A knock on the changing room door startled Pamela.
“Do you need another size?” the woman called.
“Uh, no thank you,” Pamela said.
Quickly Pamela pulled the price tag off the red t-shirt and tore it into shreds. She placed the tiny pieces of paper into her jeans pocket. She then slipped her black, long-sleeved shirt over the red t-shirt, and pulled on her sweatshirt.
She smiled in the mirror, took a deep breath and with trembling hands, opened the door.
“How’d it go?” the woman asked cheerfully.
Pamela frowned. “Oh, sometimes t-shirts look better on the hanger than they do on me,” she said, disappointed. She handed the two red t-shirts back to the woman.
“Oh, that’s too bad. Would you like to look at another?”
“No, thanks. My mom text me. I gotta go,” Pamela smiled. “Thanks!”
“Ok. Come again,” the woman said as Pamela headed for the door.
Pamela’s heart pounded in her chest as she walked closer and closer to the front of the door. Were there sensors on the t-shirts? She suddenly panicked. She didn’t see any when she slipped the shirt over her head. But could she be sure? It was too late, now.
Time to go, Pamela.
Pamela hovered near the front of the store, pretending to be interested in a headless mannequin displaying jeans and a black sweater. Pamela touched the fabric of the sweater and waited until a group of teenage girls exited the store. Just as they walked past her, she casually turned, stepped into their group and followed them through the door.
Pamela held her breath.
Nothing. No beeps. No yelling. No “stop thief!”.
Pamela walked with the group and separated from them in front of the book store.
She did it. She did it all by herself. She didn’t need Nancy or Cathy or anyone else to help her.
What she did was wrong. It was terrible. It was illegal. It was against everything she had ever been taught as a child.
But it was exhilarating.
And for the first time since she moved to this awful town with its artificial, synthetic people, Pamela felt alive.
And it felt good.
Week 2, Day 9
I've been thinking alot about motivation today. I don't mean the kind of motivation I need to swim laps or even write my quota tonight. I'm referring to the motivation our characters need to do something.
For instance, my character Pamela is having difficulty fitting in at her new school and in her new community. Her family seems to be oblivious to her struggles because of their self-centered motivations.
1. Her mother is excited about moving to the new community and is motivated to compete in an upcoming election for the president of the Country Club Association to which she now belongs.
2. Her father is a football coach and is motivated to achieve an undefeated football season so he can make his mark on the new community and secure his future and career.
3. Her brother is motivated to play quarterback and win the respect of his peers and college scouts.
4. Her sister is motivated to make an impression on the popular students on campus.
Each of their motivations drives them in self-absorption. This negligence creates the fertile setting in which Pamela's problems grow.
What is Pamela's motivation? To find a place where she is accepted for herself.
What is her conflict? Besides the obvious fact that she's the new kid on the block, her biggest conflict is not that the children in the neighborhood don't accept her, but that her family basically abandons her to her own devices once they arrive at their new community. They assume she is just as self-absorbed as they are and cannot see her struggles nor do they have the time or patience to help her adjust.
The family's expectations and Pamela's failure to fit in create a conflict for the idyllic family appearance the rest of the family members are trying so hard to create.
So, what motivates your characters? Make sure you spend time developing the conflicts and obstacles the protagonist must overcome to achieve his/her goals.
For instance, my character Pamela is having difficulty fitting in at her new school and in her new community. Her family seems to be oblivious to her struggles because of their self-centered motivations.
1. Her mother is excited about moving to the new community and is motivated to compete in an upcoming election for the president of the Country Club Association to which she now belongs.
2. Her father is a football coach and is motivated to achieve an undefeated football season so he can make his mark on the new community and secure his future and career.
3. Her brother is motivated to play quarterback and win the respect of his peers and college scouts.
4. Her sister is motivated to make an impression on the popular students on campus.
Each of their motivations drives them in self-absorption. This negligence creates the fertile setting in which Pamela's problems grow.
What is Pamela's motivation? To find a place where she is accepted for herself.
What is her conflict? Besides the obvious fact that she's the new kid on the block, her biggest conflict is not that the children in the neighborhood don't accept her, but that her family basically abandons her to her own devices once they arrive at their new community. They assume she is just as self-absorbed as they are and cannot see her struggles nor do they have the time or patience to help her adjust.
The family's expectations and Pamela's failure to fit in create a conflict for the idyllic family appearance the rest of the family members are trying so hard to create.
So, what motivates your characters? Make sure you spend time developing the conflicts and obstacles the protagonist must overcome to achieve his/her goals.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Week 2, Day 8
Hello, WriMos:
Today begins Week 2 of this crazy contest in which we find ourselves!
How are you feeling today? Excited? Overwhelmed? Worried? What's your word count? Are you disciplining yourselves to write every day? Did you download the workbook from the ywp.nanowrimo.org website to help and inspire you?
Let's take a moment to reflect. It's important to remember why we are participating in this contest:
1. To belong to a community of people who have a common interest - writing.
2. To use the momentum and excitement of a contest to motivate us to write.
3. To put onto paper the story that has been brewing in our heads for awhile.
The contest is NOT about getting a book printed at the end. "What? " You exclaim. "That's the only reason I'm doing this silly thing..."
The printed book is merely frosting on the cake. It's a reward for a job well done. But it's a minor reward compared to writing more than you ever thought you could possibly write.
This contest is opening your eyes to your possibilities as writers. Sometimes, unless someone puts a goal in front of us (like a teacher's assignment, for instance), we tend not to write for our own pleasure because there's not enough time or energy. But the desire to write is always there, burning a hole in our creative psyche. We just need to make it a priority.
So, during this NaNoWriMo month, write for the pleasure of it. Write because you have something to say. Write because you know this is one of MANY contests in which you will participate and it's exciting to be part of an international venture.
I hope all of you reach 50,000 words and receive a printed book. It will be cool to put our books in the media center at the Academy and shout "I did it!".
But that's not what makes us writers.
What really matters is that we write.
Because that's what writers do.
They live it.
They breathe it.
They hunger for it.
It sustains them and makes them whole.
And when they don't write, they feel discontent.
So, go write.
Fulfill yourselves.
Today begins Week 2 of this crazy contest in which we find ourselves!
How are you feeling today? Excited? Overwhelmed? Worried? What's your word count? Are you disciplining yourselves to write every day? Did you download the workbook from the ywp.nanowrimo.org website to help and inspire you?
Let's take a moment to reflect. It's important to remember why we are participating in this contest:
1. To belong to a community of people who have a common interest - writing.
2. To use the momentum and excitement of a contest to motivate us to write.
3. To put onto paper the story that has been brewing in our heads for awhile.
The contest is NOT about getting a book printed at the end. "What? " You exclaim. "That's the only reason I'm doing this silly thing..."
The printed book is merely frosting on the cake. It's a reward for a job well done. But it's a minor reward compared to writing more than you ever thought you could possibly write.
This contest is opening your eyes to your possibilities as writers. Sometimes, unless someone puts a goal in front of us (like a teacher's assignment, for instance), we tend not to write for our own pleasure because there's not enough time or energy. But the desire to write is always there, burning a hole in our creative psyche. We just need to make it a priority.
So, during this NaNoWriMo month, write for the pleasure of it. Write because you have something to say. Write because you know this is one of MANY contests in which you will participate and it's exciting to be part of an international venture.
I hope all of you reach 50,000 words and receive a printed book. It will be cool to put our books in the media center at the Academy and shout "I did it!".
But that's not what makes us writers.
What really matters is that we write.
Because that's what writers do.
They live it.
They breathe it.
They hunger for it.
It sustains them and makes them whole.
And when they don't write, they feel discontent.
So, go write.
Fulfill yourselves.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Week 1, Day 7
Need inspiration? Here's what I do...
This morning I took a moment to read two chapters of a chick lit paperback novel called While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. I enjoy the author's writing style and decided to analyze the structure of her story to see if I could determine such elements as characterization, plot, setting, and how she incorporated them into this bestselling book.
1. She begins the novel with one sentence that reveals the problem. The main character, Molly, is completely frustrated with the relationship she has with her older sister, Robin. The book is about how she comes to terms with that problem.
It's a common problem. How many of us have siblings? Where are we in the pecking order of the family? The first-born, the middle child, the youngest? This author chose to write about sibling conflict and drew me in with this sentence. I also sense the main character might feel a bit of guilt about not loving her sister all of the time.
2. The author doesn't spend paragraphs of prose explaining the setting of the story. She weaves it into the action of the story so the plot keeps moving forward. Sometimes, when I read a book with too much backstory, I skim over it. I skimmed over much of Breaking Dawn (sorry, Stephenie!) Too much detail can result a disengaged reader.
That sentence tells me two things - Molly is the dutiful sister who takes care of business and her sister does not need to, or have to, take responsibitlity for anything but herself.
3. The author endears her main character to me by explaining why the character is so frustrated with her sister. Again, she weaves the main character's thoughts and actions together while she moves the story foward. I found myself liking the main character and disliking her sister by the end of the first chapter.
This morning I took a moment to read two chapters of a chick lit paperback novel called While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. I enjoy the author's writing style and decided to analyze the structure of her story to see if I could determine such elements as characterization, plot, setting, and how she incorporated them into this bestselling book.
1. She begins the novel with one sentence that reveals the problem. The main character, Molly, is completely frustrated with the relationship she has with her older sister, Robin. The book is about how she comes to terms with that problem.
There were days when Molly Snow loved her sister, but this wasn't one.
It's a common problem. How many of us have siblings? Where are we in the pecking order of the family? The first-born, the middle child, the youngest? This author chose to write about sibling conflict and drew me in with this sentence. I also sense the main character might feel a bit of guilt about not loving her sister all of the time.
2. The author doesn't spend paragraphs of prose explaining the setting of the story. She weaves it into the action of the story so the plot keeps moving forward. Sometimes, when I read a book with too much backstory, I skim over it. I skimmed over much of Breaking Dawn (sorry, Stephenie!) Too much detail can result a disengaged reader.
She pulled mail from the roadside box,
without asking herself why her sister never did it...
without asking herself why her sister never did it...
That sentence tells me two things - Molly is the dutiful sister who takes care of business and her sister does not need to, or have to, take responsibitlity for anything but herself.
3. The author endears her main character to me by explaining why the character is so frustrated with her sister. Again, she weaves the main character's thoughts and actions together while she moves the story foward. I found myself liking the main character and disliking her sister by the end of the first chapter.
It seemed like running monopolized their lives.
In this section, the author reveals that the sister's professional running career is the priority with everyone in the family and that the younger sister, Molly, is supposed to cater to her older sister's needs and career goals.
So, if you find yourself needing inspiration or a jumpstart to get writing, my suggestion is to read with a critical eye a few chapters of a your favorite book . See if you can figure out what made the book so successful. You don't have to read the whole book - usually the first or second chapter is sufficient. Then get back over the keyboard and write! write! write! (or rather - type! type! type!)
Friday, November 6, 2009
Week 1, Day 6
When I began NaNoWriMo last Sunday, I had a vague idea of where I was headed with the story. I knew I wanted to write about a girl who moved from one location to another and was having difficulties dealing with the transition. I knew she would have a family and a dog. I also determined she would be about twelve years old and have a best friend with whom she was extremely close yet had to leave behind in her previous town. I also knew she would have to face difficulties as she struggled to fit into this new place.
Here are her problems:
1. Everyone in her family has found their niche and assume she is doing the same.
2. Even though her family loves her, they are too excited and busy with the new town to understand why she is having difficulties. They question if she is being stubborn.
3. The social groups at the new school are not open to accepting this new "member".
4. The girls with whom she eventually becomes "friends" are involved in activities that get her in trouble, such as stealing.
5. She has to take a stand for herself and make her own way.
Based upon these basic premises, I have been writing each day, taking each of the above-mentioned topics and writing as I felt inspired. I have now written enough that I am able to assign working chapter titles and assign them positions on my storyline map. I have now determined the exposition, catalyst, rising action, climax and denouement (falling action). These elements, of course, are subject to change, but at least I have a more definitive direction in which to move my story.
I urge you to do the same. If you go to the ywp.nanowrimo.org website, you will see a link for three different Young Novelist Workbooks. You can either download these .pdf files or print specific sections. Look for the plot rollercoaster on pg. 19 of the high school workbook. This rollercoaster is probably also in the other two workbooks. This plot rollercoaster is just like the storyline map we use in CB05 Animation Studio. If you're my animation student, you'll probably recognize it (hey - you'd better!!!!)
Anyway, use this plot rollercoaster to help you develop your road map. It's a tried and true method. I wrote my novel "Butterfly" with it and it really helped to keep me on track (no pun intended!)
This weekend is your chance to do some serious writing. Forget tv. Do your homework (of course) and clean your room. After that - WRITE! You can always hang with your friends or watch a movie AFTER November 30th. At that time, you can brag about how much writing you accomplished during this contest.
Keep writing...
Here are her problems:
1. Everyone in her family has found their niche and assume she is doing the same.
2. Even though her family loves her, they are too excited and busy with the new town to understand why she is having difficulties. They question if she is being stubborn.
3. The social groups at the new school are not open to accepting this new "member".
4. The girls with whom she eventually becomes "friends" are involved in activities that get her in trouble, such as stealing.
5. She has to take a stand for herself and make her own way.
Based upon these basic premises, I have been writing each day, taking each of the above-mentioned topics and writing as I felt inspired. I have now written enough that I am able to assign working chapter titles and assign them positions on my storyline map. I have now determined the exposition, catalyst, rising action, climax and denouement (falling action). These elements, of course, are subject to change, but at least I have a more definitive direction in which to move my story.
I urge you to do the same. If you go to the ywp.nanowrimo.org website, you will see a link for three different Young Novelist Workbooks. You can either download these .pdf files or print specific sections. Look for the plot rollercoaster on pg. 19 of the high school workbook. This rollercoaster is probably also in the other two workbooks. This plot rollercoaster is just like the storyline map we use in CB05 Animation Studio. If you're my animation student, you'll probably recognize it (hey - you'd better!!!!)
Anyway, use this plot rollercoaster to help you develop your road map. It's a tried and true method. I wrote my novel "Butterfly" with it and it really helped to keep me on track (no pun intended!)
This weekend is your chance to do some serious writing. Forget tv. Do your homework (of course) and clean your room. After that - WRITE! You can always hang with your friends or watch a movie AFTER November 30th. At that time, you can brag about how much writing you accomplished during this contest.
Keep writing...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Week 1, Day 5
I'm so pleased to see fellow authors responding to each other's questions and comments. (These can be found at the end of each day's blog). Our community of writers is growing. We're here to help each other, and through helping each other, we help ourselves. If you haven't been reading the comments, why don't you check them out today? You might learn something new. You might also realize that others are struggling with their writing projects (which is NORMAL) and you might find comfort in this knowledge.
So, today's topic is "Why Am I Participating in this Contest?"
You have your reasons. Whatever they are, I'm glad you're participating in NaNoWriMo. I am delighted to see so many names posted on my classroom whiteboard. Each day, a flock of students run into my classroom and update their word count. The number of words written is climbing and the number of words to write is declining. We are doing it, my friends!
My reason for participating is twofold - I have to write because I'm incomplete if I don't. You all know me as your tech teacher, but my first love was writing, and the relationship I have with my passion and creative psyche is enduring. The other reason I am participating is because I have something I want to say.
My book, "A Place for Pamela", takes place during middle school years. Middle school can be a difficult phase in the lives of young people. I remember some aspects of my middle school phase. My favorite teacher acknowledged my writing ability and told me one day she'd see my work in print. After high school, when I was a journalist for a magazine, I ran into this teacher at a store. I happily told her I was a published writer. She believed in me and I still appreciate it. Middle school was also the time of my first kiss(!) and I incorporate that moment in my novel "A Place for Pamela". It was also a bitter time in my life when friends, who said they were friends, were nothing of the sort. One of my chapters is called "Outside Day". This chapter is about how one person in my group (whom I called Queen Bee) determined who was "invited" to be the group on any given day. When you least expected it, you were out. During "Outside Day", you were no longer part of the group but ate alone, rode the bus alone and wondered the whole time what you had done wrong. The next day, you were back in and someone else was out. I include these events, as well as some totally made up, in my book. My message is "be true to yourself", which is ultimately what I had to do to.
So, why are you writing? What is the message you hope to convey? If you are struggling with your novel, take a moment and write down your message. It will give you the direction you may be struggling to find.
Keep writing...
So, today's topic is "Why Am I Participating in this Contest?"
You have your reasons. Whatever they are, I'm glad you're participating in NaNoWriMo. I am delighted to see so many names posted on my classroom whiteboard. Each day, a flock of students run into my classroom and update their word count. The number of words written is climbing and the number of words to write is declining. We are doing it, my friends!
My reason for participating is twofold - I have to write because I'm incomplete if I don't. You all know me as your tech teacher, but my first love was writing, and the relationship I have with my passion and creative psyche is enduring. The other reason I am participating is because I have something I want to say.
My book, "A Place for Pamela", takes place during middle school years. Middle school can be a difficult phase in the lives of young people. I remember some aspects of my middle school phase. My favorite teacher acknowledged my writing ability and told me one day she'd see my work in print. After high school, when I was a journalist for a magazine, I ran into this teacher at a store. I happily told her I was a published writer. She believed in me and I still appreciate it. Middle school was also the time of my first kiss(!) and I incorporate that moment in my novel "A Place for Pamela". It was also a bitter time in my life when friends, who said they were friends, were nothing of the sort. One of my chapters is called "Outside Day". This chapter is about how one person in my group (whom I called Queen Bee) determined who was "invited" to be the group on any given day. When you least expected it, you were out. During "Outside Day", you were no longer part of the group but ate alone, rode the bus alone and wondered the whole time what you had done wrong. The next day, you were back in and someone else was out. I include these events, as well as some totally made up, in my book. My message is "be true to yourself", which is ultimately what I had to do to.
So, why are you writing? What is the message you hope to convey? If you are struggling with your novel, take a moment and write down your message. It will give you the direction you may be struggling to find.
Keep writing...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Week 1, Day 4
Today at school I got the impression that some of you are hitting a literary wall. On Day 1, you burst out of the gate, wrote furiously, and now you've stopped and you're asking - "What's next?". This is a critical time, in my opinion, because it's when most people give up on writing a novel. They've run out of ideas, they've nothing more to say - or so they think. What's actually happened is you've written the idea you had in your head when you said "Wouldn't it be cool if I wrote about ..." And then you wrote it and you think you're finished. Well, if you were writing a short story, maybe, but if you're writing a novel, and there are at least 25 of you that are doing just that, you aren't finished. Not even close. What you've done is dumped onto paper the words and images floating at the top of your creativity. Now that those ideas are out of your superficial memory, you need to dig deeper.
This is where your creativity kicks in. If you push yourself, you're going to start thinking about chapters you hadn't even yet considered because you couldn't get beyond your initial idea for a book. Now that those initial ideas are on paper (or in electronic format), push them aside and work on another aspect of the story.
Here's the next step:
You have a protagonist, right? (You better!) Well, where there are protagonists, something has to antagonize and create conflict, or there's no story. So, what does your protagonist what? And what's making your protagonist upset? What's stopping her from getting where she wants to go? What's frustrating him and making him want to punch a wall?
Remember that an antagonist can be an idea or a perspective.
Man vs. self - is your character's pride causing conflict within his heart?
Man vs. nature - is snowy weather slowing down the traffic that is working its way through the mountain pass?
Man vs. man - is your protagonist's desire to become a musician in direct conflict to the father's desire he become a football player instead?
Figure out who the antagonist(s) is (are) and develop the story from that perspective.
Request - leave a comment to this blog and tell us briefly about your novel. We can better help each other if we know the topics of our writing group.
Great minds can help each other create great books. Let's do that.
This is where your creativity kicks in. If you push yourself, you're going to start thinking about chapters you hadn't even yet considered because you couldn't get beyond your initial idea for a book. Now that those initial ideas are on paper (or in electronic format), push them aside and work on another aspect of the story.
Here's the next step:
You have a protagonist, right? (You better!) Well, where there are protagonists, something has to antagonize and create conflict, or there's no story. So, what does your protagonist what? And what's making your protagonist upset? What's stopping her from getting where she wants to go? What's frustrating him and making him want to punch a wall?
Remember that an antagonist can be an idea or a perspective.
Man vs. self - is your character's pride causing conflict within his heart?
Man vs. nature - is snowy weather slowing down the traffic that is working its way through the mountain pass?
Man vs. man - is your protagonist's desire to become a musician in direct conflict to the father's desire he become a football player instead?
Figure out who the antagonist(s) is (are) and develop the story from that perspective.
Request - leave a comment to this blog and tell us briefly about your novel. We can better help each other if we know the topics of our writing group.
Great minds can help each other create great books. Let's do that.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Week 1, Day 3
I believe the only way to accomplish a goal is to set it in front of you and let nothing deter you from reaching it. We've decided to undertake this crazy venture - 50,000 words in 30 days. It really is insane if you pause and reflect. And yet, if you are really a writer, you will see this as a challenge and a relief. A challenge because it's an opportunity to race against the clock and our personal best. A relief because we have a reason to write and a community with which to share our excitement and concerns.
So, some of you are experiencing writer's block. Been there, done that, will be there again. Here's what I do to overcome. Try these suggestions.
1. Create a journal (like this blog) and write for a few minutes to "loosen up".
2. Don't start at the beginning of the novel. Start somewhere that interests you. Write about that topic, then skip to something else. Do what motivates you or makes you feel. Then go back and "glue" it all together.
3. Don't try to be perfect. Just write. Let your voice permeate your writing. Just say it without thinking about proper tense or sentence structure. Write like you speak. Edits are for later.
4. Work on something technical, like draw storylines, create character tables with lists of qualities and traits. How old is your protagonist? What does he/she want? What does he like to eat? Who are his friends? What are her fears? Fleshing out your character will help you develop a backstory that will give your reader the information he needs to understand motive.
5. Write exposition. What is the setting? How does it smell? Feel? Is it cold? Is it slushy and nasty?
6. Write some dialogue. How about an argument? Maybe a lover's spat?
Sometimes I just write whatever comes to my head and then a creative idea strikes me and I'm off and running.
A writer writes. Everywhere. Anytime. Today our writing group met during lunch. We ate and typed furiously. It was a beautiful moment.
I wrote about 500 words in that span of time. Then I brought my laptop with me to the Barrow Neurological Institute where my 12th grader had an interview in a lab. While she was busy doing her thing, I was busy doing mine. I found an outlet and typed 2,000 words. Afterwards, while I waited for my 10th grader to finish band practice, I sat in the back of my SUV in the parking lot and typed another 400 words.
A writer writes. Everywhere. Anytime.
So, some of you are experiencing writer's block. Been there, done that, will be there again. Here's what I do to overcome. Try these suggestions.
1. Create a journal (like this blog) and write for a few minutes to "loosen up".
2. Don't start at the beginning of the novel. Start somewhere that interests you. Write about that topic, then skip to something else. Do what motivates you or makes you feel. Then go back and "glue" it all together.
3. Don't try to be perfect. Just write. Let your voice permeate your writing. Just say it without thinking about proper tense or sentence structure. Write like you speak. Edits are for later.
4. Work on something technical, like draw storylines, create character tables with lists of qualities and traits. How old is your protagonist? What does he/she want? What does he like to eat? Who are his friends? What are her fears? Fleshing out your character will help you develop a backstory that will give your reader the information he needs to understand motive.
5. Write exposition. What is the setting? How does it smell? Feel? Is it cold? Is it slushy and nasty?
6. Write some dialogue. How about an argument? Maybe a lover's spat?
Sometimes I just write whatever comes to my head and then a creative idea strikes me and I'm off and running.
A writer writes. Everywhere. Anytime. Today our writing group met during lunch. We ate and typed furiously. It was a beautiful moment.
I wrote about 500 words in that span of time. Then I brought my laptop with me to the Barrow Neurological Institute where my 12th grader had an interview in a lab. While she was busy doing her thing, I was busy doing mine. I found an outlet and typed 2,000 words. Afterwards, while I waited for my 10th grader to finish band practice, I sat in the back of my SUV in the parking lot and typed another 400 words.
A writer writes. Everywhere. Anytime.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Week 1, Day 2
I just got home from work and can't wait to write. Unfortunately, I have to leave again and won't be able to work on my manuscript until 10:00p tonight. But - no excuses, right? If you want to write, you have to make the time. So, I'll skip the evening news or reading a book and instead I'll write a book.
During lunchtime, several of my students came to my classroom and continued working on their manuscripts. I'm so proud of them! I've also posted the names of my students (on my classroom whiteboard) who are participating in this NaNoWriMo event. We're going to track our progress throughout the month. I am also going to blog daily. I welcome everyone to make comments, ask questions and/or suggestions. Let's create a literary community amongst the NaNoWriMo participants! And those of you who are not writing but are just enjoying reading this blog, welcome to you. We'd love to hear from you.
I'll log back in tonight after I've written my daily quota.
TTFN
Ok, I'm back. I wrote 1,891 words tonight. Not as many as I'd hoped but it's late and I'm getting sleepy.
My character Pamela has recently moved to a new city. In this chapter, she is excluded from the neighborhood girls who do not want her to join their clique. Pamela's homesickness is consuming and her pain is heartwrenching.
Blog thoughts for the day - what kind of friend am I? Do I reach out to others or am I consumed with myself? Am I threatened by the presence of someone new who might change the relationships I have developed with others? Am I afraid I will be the one on the outside looking in?
During lunchtime, several of my students came to my classroom and continued working on their manuscripts. I'm so proud of them! I've also posted the names of my students (on my classroom whiteboard) who are participating in this NaNoWriMo event. We're going to track our progress throughout the month. I am also going to blog daily. I welcome everyone to make comments, ask questions and/or suggestions. Let's create a literary community amongst the NaNoWriMo participants! And those of you who are not writing but are just enjoying reading this blog, welcome to you. We'd love to hear from you.
I'll log back in tonight after I've written my daily quota.
TTFN
Ok, I'm back. I wrote 1,891 words tonight. Not as many as I'd hoped but it's late and I'm getting sleepy.
My character Pamela has recently moved to a new city. In this chapter, she is excluded from the neighborhood girls who do not want her to join their clique. Pamela's homesickness is consuming and her pain is heartwrenching.
Blog thoughts for the day - what kind of friend am I? Do I reach out to others or am I consumed with myself? Am I threatened by the presence of someone new who might change the relationships I have developed with others? Am I afraid I will be the one on the outside looking in?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Week 1, Day 1 - NaNoWriMo Begins!
Finally!!! The day I've awaited is here. I attempted to stay awake last night until the stroke of midnight, but I decided it would be better to start in the morning after a good night's sleep.
I have an unexpected guest sitting with me at the dining room table this morning. He is my 10-year old, fourth-grade son. This budding writer has decided to join me in this month-long quest and has begun writing his manuscript. In fact, he was up and awake long before me and got dibs on the computer, so now I am using my other son's laptop instead! The keyboard feels foreign to me and none of my files are on this hard drive, but hey, what's a mom to do? The name of his book is "The Adventures of Finnegan Fly". I won't give away the story here because it's his to tell, but I must say he's off to a great start. I just wonder if I'll ever get my computer back...
Ok, enough chitchat. I'm ready to begin. I'll finish this blog tonight after I've written my daily goal of 2,000 words. Let's see what I can do...
8:26 p.m., Nov. 1st
Ok, I'm back. It's Sunday evening and I've had a busy day with cooking prepartions and dinner guests. I was able to squeeze an hour of writing into my morning schedule and a half hour tonight. I have written 2,494 words so far.
I've learned through years of experience that you don't have to start writing from the beginning. Whichever chapter captures your interest - write that one first. You can always piece the whole thing together like a puzzle later. I read somewhere that Stephenie Meyer (of Twilight fame) began writing her book on chapter 13. She then wrote the ending, the beginning and then glued the whole thing together. Do what works for you.
Today, I decided to write about a conflict my protagonist (Pamela) must face - peer pressure. She has recently moved to a new town and cannot find a group of friends at her new school. She meets a neighborhood girl who introduces her to rebellious behaviors such as ditching school, lying and stealing. Pamela knows these actions are wrong, but in her desperation to find a place to belong, she casts asides her own personal beliefs and succumbs to the pressure of the group.
Tomorrow's goal - another 2,000 words.
TTFN
I have an unexpected guest sitting with me at the dining room table this morning. He is my 10-year old, fourth-grade son. This budding writer has decided to join me in this month-long quest and has begun writing his manuscript. In fact, he was up and awake long before me and got dibs on the computer, so now I am using my other son's laptop instead! The keyboard feels foreign to me and none of my files are on this hard drive, but hey, what's a mom to do? The name of his book is "The Adventures of Finnegan Fly". I won't give away the story here because it's his to tell, but I must say he's off to a great start. I just wonder if I'll ever get my computer back...
Ok, enough chitchat. I'm ready to begin. I'll finish this blog tonight after I've written my daily goal of 2,000 words. Let's see what I can do...
8:26 p.m., Nov. 1st
Ok, I'm back. It's Sunday evening and I've had a busy day with cooking prepartions and dinner guests. I was able to squeeze an hour of writing into my morning schedule and a half hour tonight. I have written 2,494 words so far.
I've learned through years of experience that you don't have to start writing from the beginning. Whichever chapter captures your interest - write that one first. You can always piece the whole thing together like a puzzle later. I read somewhere that Stephenie Meyer (of Twilight fame) began writing her book on chapter 13. She then wrote the ending, the beginning and then glued the whole thing together. Do what works for you.
Today, I decided to write about a conflict my protagonist (Pamela) must face - peer pressure. She has recently moved to a new town and cannot find a group of friends at her new school. She meets a neighborhood girl who introduces her to rebellious behaviors such as ditching school, lying and stealing. Pamela knows these actions are wrong, but in her desperation to find a place to belong, she casts asides her own personal beliefs and succumbs to the pressure of the group.
Tomorrow's goal - another 2,000 words.
TTFN
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